Day 1 – Arrival

This is the day that you arrive in Israel. Well, it’s not the case for those who are already here or who are living in Israel.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel and for this tour it means Tel Aviv.

Bus

During the drive to your hotel, the bus will stop multiple times if the group requires so. One stop is for stretching your legs and to be fed real food and drink. That is included in the tour! So, please don’t spend your money on that.

Day 2 – Tel Aviv-Jaffa

Neve Tsedek in Tel Aviv

Neve Tsedek in Tel Aviv

Sheinkin Street in Tel Aviv

Banner for Tel Aviv

Nahalat Binyamin market in Tel Aviv

Neve Tzedek in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv in Israel

Neve Tsedek in Tel Aviv

Neve Tsedek in Tel Aviv

Old Yaffa Walled City in Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv University’s Botanical Gardens

Tel Aviv

The guide and his bus will be waiting for you all at about 8 AM. I hope you are all awake then.

We begin our visit by heading straight to Jaffa, the picturesque ancient port from which Jonah set sail before being swallowed by the whale, where King Solomon imported the cedars of Lebanon to build the Temple in Jerusalem, and where Peter had his vision at Simon the Tanner’s home.

Don’t miss the visitor center in Kedumim Square that showcases the history of the city and is built around antiquities from the time of Jesus. Enjoy a beautiful view of modern Tel Aviv from Jaffa, before driving through the city.

Tour Tel Aviv’s White City to see the preservation of buildings of Bauhaus architecture (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) including Independence Hall, where Ben-Gurion declared independence in 1948.

Sheinkin Street is famous for its fun shopping, dining and people-watching in a youthful atmosphere, while the open-air Carmel fruit and vegetable market is a treat for all the senses. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall comes alive with stalls selling handicrafts of every type.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Tel Aviv.

Day 3 – Caesarea, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee

Caesarea in Israel

Caesarea

Caesarea

Caesarea Maritima

Today we will go north, so we drive north across the Sharon Plain to the excavations of the ancient city and port at Caesarea National Park. King Herod built Caesarea in honor of his patron Emperor Augustus in the mid-first century BCE, and Pontius Pilate ruled the country from here.

Peter’s story, which you began to explore in Jaffa, continues here when he baptized Cornelius the Centurion in Caesarea. It was from this port that Paul set sail to preach in communities all over the Mediterranean, where he was later imprisoned for two years and appeared before Felix, Festus and King Agrippa. All these events are reflected in the ruins you’ll tour, including the Roman theater, the hippodrome and Herod’s palace, as well as mosaics and other remains from the centuries when Caesarea was an important Christian center, and the Crusader walls, moat and gates.

Tel Megiddo National Park

Tel Megiddo National Park

Tel Megiddo National Park

Megiddo was a site of great importance in the ancient world. It guarded the western branch of a narrow pass and trade route connecting Egypt and Assyria. Because of its strategic location, Megiddo was the site of several historical battles. The site was inhabited from approximately 7000 BC to 586 BCE

Tel Megiddo National Park

We take the bus and drive through the Ara Valley to Tel Megiddo, the Armageddon of Revelations 16:16. Tour the remains of one of the most intensively inhabited sites in the country with over 25 levels of settlement, spanning some 3,000 years, including walls, gates, palaces and dwellings from the time of King Solomon, King Ahab and the Assyrians. A highlight will be your walk through the water system, one of the great engineering marvels of antiquity.

We cross the Jezreel Valley, sometimes called “the battlefield of the Bible” and now Israel’s breadbasket, to Mt. Tabor to hear the account of the prophetess Deborah gathering her forces here in the time of the Judges to battle against Sisera.

Mount Tabor

Mount Tabor

Mount Tabor

Mount Tabor

Jesus came to Tabor with Peter and James, was transfigured before them, and met with Moses and Elijah. After a breathtaking view of the valley below, visit the beautiful two-level Church of the Transfiguration.

Nazareth at night with the bloody sky

We continue to Nazareth to visit Nazareth Village, a full-scale reconstruction of life in Nazareth during the time of Jesus.

We continue to the centuries-old Church of St. Gabriel, which houses the village spring – one of the few authentic remains of the time of Jesus to be seen in Nazareth. It’s truly beautiful there.

Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana

We drive across the Galilee Mountains via Cana, the scene of Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine, and home of Nathanael.

We continue on with our bus and stop for a breathtaking overviews of the Sea of Galilee and the scenes of Jesus’ Galilee ministry that you will be visiting over the next few days from the Arbel Cliff.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Tiberias.

Day 4 – Sea of Galilee

Mount of Beatitudes near the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee

Tabgha near Sea of Galilee

The Magdala fishing pier on the beach of the Sea of Galilee, which is actually a freshwater lake.

Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee

Jesus Boat near the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee

Archaeological excavations, national park Zippori, Galilee, Israel

Sea of Galilee map of Sights

St. Peter near Tiberias and Sea of Galilee

Early up at 8 AM and we begin our day at Kibbutz Ginosar to see the magnificent display of the wooden Galilee Boat, dating from the time of Jesus, which was discovered, mired in the mud on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We continue from Ginosar with a boat-ride across the Sea of Galilee, stopping for devotions as the waves lap quietly around the boat, recalling ancient times. We will have a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. For those of us who wants, a Holy Mass will be held on that boat (takes about one and half hour!)

Capernaum – Saint Peter’s Memorial Israel – Capernaum Synagogue

Capernaum

Capernaum

Capernaum at the time of Jesus. Art by Balage Balogh

Capernaum synagogue

Capernaum. An artist’s reconstruction of the boat on the left in it’s historical setting

James Tissot He Did No Miracles But He Healed Them

Landing near Capernaum, begin to follow in the footsteps of Jesus’ ministry in the villages around the Sea of Galilee. This area is known as the “Evangelical Triangle” since most of Jesus’ miracles and teachings occurred around here. Capernaum, often called the hometown of Jesus, with its synagogue, church marking the home of Peter, and dwellings from the time of Jesus is one of its “points.”

Crossing the Jordan River north of the lake, continue east to Bethsaida, another point on the Evangelical Triangle, where a street from the time of Jesus and a fisherman’s house are among the highlights, as well as massive walls from the biblical city of Geshur.

Kursi

Now that you are on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, continue to Kursi, the traditional place where Jesus healed the demon-possessed men by casting their evil spirits into a herd of pigs, with the remains of the largest Byzantine monastic complex.

Primacy of Peter

Then, we head west, passing Capernaum again, to stop at the Chapel of the Primacy of Peter, where Jesus appeared to the Apostles after the resurrection, and where you can go right down to the water’s edge in beautiful surroundings. Nearby is the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes at Tabha, with its famed mosaic depicting the two fishes and the five loaves Jesus multiplied.

Now, it’s on to the third and last point on the Evangelical Triangle, Korazim, where you can see a synagogue with a ritual bath and an excavated public square.

Mount of Beatitudes

End the day at the nearby Mount of Beatitudes, the hill where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount to the multitudes that stood below, with a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Tiberias.

Day 5 – Golan

Map of Golan Heights

Look out and get ready, because we ascend the Golan Heights today, the biblical Bashan and ancestral home of the half-tribe of Manassah and in Jesus’ day, part of the territory of Herod Philip. We stop for an overview of Gamla, also known as “Massada of the north” where you’ll hear a heroic story of the few against the many, as the raptors that are protected here soar overhead in these magnificent natural surroundings.

We continue to Katsrin and visit its ancient Talmudic Village to understand aspects of daily life at the time of Jesus as they are reflected in Gospel stories.

We drive along Israel’s border with Syria and stop at the Kuneitra overlook.

We continue to Kibbutz El-Rom to attend the audio-visual presentation that tells the story of the battle at the nearby “Vale of Tears” where a few Israeli tanks fended off waves of Syrian forces during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Following the presentation descend from the Golan to the Hula Valley via the Druze villages.

We visit Tel Dan, one of the most important biblical mounds in the country. Here archaeologists discovered an inscription with the words “House of David,” and you can see a gateway from the time of Abraham, as well as the High Place of Jeroboam and the Israelite gate.

Banias waterfall

We continue to Caesarea Philippi, now known as Banias. Open your Bible among the ruins of pagan temples to consider the words Jesus spoke here: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13). As at Dan, you’ll also enjoy the natural beauty of Banias nestled on the flourishing banks of one the Jordan’s main tributaries.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Tiberias.

Day 6 – Golan, Jerusalem

Baptized in the Jordan river

Today you’re heading up to Jerusalem! But before you leave the Sea of Galilee area, begin the day with an inspiring visit to Yardenit, the baptismal site located at the Jordan River on the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee.

Beit She’an

We drive south this time along the Jordan Valley our next stop will be the ancient city of Beit She’an. On the walls of this once-powerful city that controlled the gateway to the land of Israel the Philistines hung the bodies of Saul and his three sons, whom they had defeated in battle on nearby Mount Gilboa. Anyone who wants can climb to the top of the huge mound of biblical antiquities, and see many magnificent remnants of this city that was the capital of the Decapolis cities where the Gospels say the fame of Jesus spread during his public ministry.

Jericho

We continue down the Jordan Valley, seeing Jericho, and the Mountains of Ammon and Moab in Jordan, as you ascend through the Judean Desert to the Holy City.

Before heading to your hotel in Jerusalem, stop for your first moving view of the Holy City from Mount Scopus, and open your Bibles to read “Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem (Psalm 122:2) and others of the Psalms of Ascent.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 7 – Jerusalem (old city)

Jerusalem Old City

Welcome the day with one of the most magnificent views in the world: ancient Jerusalem as seen from the top of the Mount of Olives. Allow some time to visit the various churches on the summit, among them: Pater Noster, where the prayer “Our Father” is inscribed in dozens of languages, and the Church of Ascension, marking the place where Jesus ascended to Heaven.

Dominus Flevit

Take the “Palm Sunday Walk” down the Mount of Olives in the footsteps of Jesus. On the way, stop at Dominus Flevit Church (The Lord Wept), marking the site of Jesus’ weeping over the city (Luke 19: 37-42). At the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of the mountain, you can spend time pondering and praying about the time Jesus spent here with his disciples before his arrest.

Pools of Bethesda

Enter the Old City via Lion’s Gate, also known as St. Stephen’s Gate to the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a paralytic (John 5: 2-9). Christian groups love to raise their voices in song at the adjacent Church of St. Anne.

Convent of the Sisters of Zion

Walking up through the Old City streets, your next stop can be the Sisters of Zion Convent, built over the Praetorium, where Jesus was judged by Pontius Pilate and took up the cross, marked by the Ecce Homo (“Here is the Man” – John 19:5) Arch over the street. This site marks the beginning of the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, which tradition says Jesus went with the cross to Calvary. Today, it passes through the colorful Old City markets to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the site venerated by the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox world as the place of crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Christ Tomb

The day will end with a visit to the Garden Tomb. Located 500 meters to the north of Damascus Gate, this ancient cemetery discovered approximately 130 years ago by the British General Charles Gordon has become a moving site in which to recall the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, and spend time in these peaceful garden surroundings in prayer, song, fellowship and communion.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 8 – Jerusalem (old city)

Mount Zion

Start the day with a visit to Mt. Zion and its many sites, among them: King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper.

Old city market

Enter the Old City via Zion Gate and stroll through the alleyways of the Jewish Quarter, overflowing with historic sites and archaeological treasures. Stop at the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Herodian Temple Mount destroyed by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. While at the Western Wall, arrange your schedule to join a public tour of the Western Wall Tunnels by enquiring at the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

Explore the Southern Wall Archaeological Park located around the southwestern corner of Temple Mount. Here you can stand on the very street that Jesus would have walked 2,000 years ago and view other archaeological remains that shed light on other New Testament events. You can also visit the magnificent Davidson Visitors Center in the basement of an eighth-century-CE palace. Look into the possibility of seeing its virtual-reconstruction, high-definition interactive model, and enjoy the high-definition film open to all visitors that depicts ancient pilgrimage to the Temple in a unique way.

Continue to the most ancient part of Jerusalem: the City of David. This area has been excavated more than any other place in Jerusalem in the past 120 years and boasts some of the most important discoveries in biblical archaeology to date.

End the day with a walk through the water of Hezekiah’s Tunnel, named after the king who ordered it hewn to keep Jerusalem’s water from the Assyrians when the city was under siege. A highlight of this visit is a stop at the Pool of Siloam, where new excavations have uncovered the actual remains of the pool where Jesus healed a blind man.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 9 – Jerusalem (new city)

Yad Vashem

Start the day with a visit to Yad Vashem the Holocaust memorial, with its astounding new historical museum, Hall of Remembrance, Children’s’ Memorial and other moving sites.

We proceed to Ein Karem. This picturesque village is full of winding lanes, enchanting architectural features and lush green gardens. There are seven monasteries and convents inspired by various traditions at Ein Karem. It is said that John the Baptist was born here and that Mary drank from the Spring of the Virgin, still bubbling from a cave at an abandoned mosque near the center of the village.

Dead Sea Scrolls

We continue to the Israel Museum, home to the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century – the Dead Sea Scrolls. Those scrolls confirmed that the old testament was true. An impressive model of Jerusalem in 69 CE sets the stage before entering the special shrine that contains the Scrolls. Stop at the square opposite the Knesset, to view Israel’s legislature and see the magnificent bronze menorah with its carvings depicting the biblical history of Israel and Zechariah’s immortal words “Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit…” (4:6).

Old city market

We finish the day with a visit to downtown Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda and Nahalat Shiva pedestrian malls and meet Jerusalemites over a cup of coffee or a local dish at a cafe or restaurant, or stroll the open-air fruit and vegetable market, Mahane Yehuda. (Ask at your hotel about optional evening tours).

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 10 – Qumran, Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, Massada

Outside the Qumran caves

We head east out of Jerusalem through the Judean Desert to visit Qumran, where the famed Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Modern scholarship places a community of Essenes at this site, and it is possible that John the Baptist spent some time with the community here.

Ein Gedi

We drive along the shore of the Dead Sea, to the oasis at Ein Gedi, where David hid from King Saul, and you can hike to a desert waterfall.

In the afternoon, take the cable-car to the top of Massada, scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the great revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago. The new museum at the visitor’s center reveals the secrets of the daily life of the rebels, the story of the excavations, and how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols.

Enjoy a healthful and relaxing dip in the Dead Sea, the lowest, saltiest body of water on earth, before returning to Jerusalem.

For those, who ordered the hotels, they will be driven by bus to their hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 11 – Negev

Sunset jeep tour in Eilat Mts.- Negev

Shchoret Canyon in the Negev

Cave In Ein Avdat In The Negev District In Southern Israel

Use cave in Negev, many unexplored and undiscovered too

We drive west to the Valley of Ayalon, where Joshua called on the Lord to make the moon stand still. Stop at Emmaus on the road to which Jesus appeared to two of his disciples when they left Jerusalem after his crucifixion.

We continue to the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath. Drive up Tel Azekah to enjoy the fine overview of the famous battleground.

We continue to Beit Guvrin National Park and Tel Maresha, the Israelite/Idumean town of Maresha – believed to be the birthplace of King Herod. Visit the underground network of man-made caves and see the Roman amphitheater.

In the afternoon, visit the Neot Kedumim Biblical Landscape Reserve where the flora of the Scripture comes alive, along with biblical tools and industrial implements: oil presses, wine presses, cisterns and more.

We stop at the Mini Israel theme park, with over 400 precise scale models of sites and monuments throughout the country, is a fun and interesting way to end your day and your Israel experience

Day 12 – Departure

This is the day of the departure. We bring everyone back to the point where we picked them up.

Categories

Encyclopedia for the Tourist in Israel: Tourists in Israel

For those who are visiting Eilat (or are going to do that) without plan (like most of you do), here are some tips for you to make your life a bit easier if you want to see something of Eilat. It’s the problem of getting there and how to move around and with what. Did you know that you can fly to Eilat instead of driving for 4 hours by car? Do you know how much that cost? It cost you $35 and 35 minutes. Voila, you earned your reading back with this.

Eilat’s accommodation ranges from the good to the bad to the downright ugly – this is not a place to expect a charming or unique hotel experience. As is the case with most resort towns, the cost of hotel rooms rises by about 25% at weekends and 50% (or more) during Israeli school holidays and in July/August. Reserve ahead during these times. The prices we have cited in our reviews are at the higher end of the mid-season range. If you enjoy staying in five-star chain hotels, you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are more than 50 options around the lagoons at North Beach and along the road to Taba, including nine Isrotels, two Dan Hotels and seven hotels in the Leonardo/Herod group. Most have bland decor, restaurants where the fixed-price buffet reigns supreme, large pool areas and decent but not exceptional levels of service.

Beaches and water sport are the dominating swimming activities in Eilat and in this article you will see what you can do here and what beaches we are talking about. In Eilat, there are two types of beach/water-tourists; those who love to swim in the Red Sea and those who prefer the water pools of their hotel.

Tel Aviv has loads of restaurants in all kinds, representing all areas of the Arab world, as is the rest of the world. And you know what, you can always find something for any budget. You can choose a boutique type restaurant, or you can choose a restaurant, where you have a full meal for a few shekels. And then there are those restaurants, which are based on the rising crop of ‘chef restaurants’ and an ever-growing number of swanky brasseries.

There are accommodation choices to meet every budget and style requirement in Tel Aviv, but the city’s ever-expanding range of boutique hotels includes the most alluring options. The best location for visitors is the wedge of the south city centre bounded by Rothschild Blvd, Sheinkin St and Allenby St, which is richly endowed with cafes and restaurants. It’s also within walking distance of most sights. Further away, Jaffa offers some stylish boutique options and a vibrant Arab-influenced street life.

It’s not quite as old as nearby Jaffa – history here stretches back ‘only’ 1300 years – but Ramla’s bustling market, underground pools and crumbling Islamic architecture make it an interesting half-day trip from Tel Aviv. Try to visit on a Wednesday, when the market is at its busiest and most colorful. Established in 716 CE by the Umayyid caliph Suleiman, Ramla (spot of sand) was a stopover on the road from Egypt to Damascus. Prior to the arrival of the Crusaders in the 11th century, it was Palestine’s capital and it maintained its importance in the Middle Ages as the first stop for the Jerusalem-bound pilgrims who came ashore at Jaffa. Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the majority of the Arab population were expelled or fled and was replaced by poor Jewish immigrants, mainly from Asia (eg India) and North Africa. It’s now a friendly mix of Arabs (20%) and Jews (80%).

The self-titled ‘Israeli Riviera’ offers 12km of the finest sandy beaches in Israel & the Palestinian Territories, while the town itself exudes a rather strange, time-warp feeling, almost like an out-of season French seaside resort. It’s popular with families, who flock to the spacious promenade with its parks, flower beds and water features. As at Herzliya, the beaches are a favourite with visiting European (especially French and Russian) tourists but are far less crowded than those of Tel Aviv. In August or September, the town has the dubious distinction of hosting the annual two-day Netanya International Clown Festival.

Just 12km north of central Tel Aviv, Herzliya is popular due to its fine, clean beaches, marina mall and string of seafront cafes. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya started as a small farming community in 1924 and now consists of two main areas separated by Hwy 2. Middle-class, suburban central Herzliya, east of the highway, is mainly residential and commercial, while Herzliya Pituach (west of the highway) – a neighborhood of huge villas that’s home to some of Israel’s wealthiest residents – is where the beaches are. Herzliya Pituach is also home to Israel’s blossoming high-tech industry; as a result, modern office blocks are rising up all.

Recent Posts: Perfect Buildings Blog

The Cathedral of Guadalajara started to be constructed on the 31st of July 1568 and concluded on the 19th of February 1618, ordered by King of Spain Felipe II. Few people know it has the official title of “Basílica de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Virgen María”, because it was consecrated to her.

Aya Sofya is the great architectural landmark at the heart of Istanbul, with its four minarets poised like moon-bound rockets. Constructed in the 6th century AD as an Orthodox church, it later became a mosque and, since 1935, a museum. The enormous structure was built in just five years, and its musk walls are topped by an imposing dome, 31m wide and 56m high. The dome’s base is ringed by windows, so that from within the structure, the dome seems almost to hover ethereally above the building.

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Red Square remains, as it has been for centuries, the heart and soul of Russia. Few places in the world bear the weight of history to the extent that Moscow’s central square does. From the 16th Century St. Basil’s Cathedral – one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world – to the constructivist pyramid of Lenin’s Mausoleum, Red Square is rich in symbols of Russia’s turbulent and intriguing past.

Known as the “Russian Versailles,” Peterhof is a series of palaces and courtyards full of glinting gold statues and wondrous fountains surrounded by manicured grounds. Preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Site, the initial construction of the Peterhof complex began around 1714 when Peter the Great commissioned a pleasure palace across the sea from the island fortress of Kronstadt. Especially amazing is the Grand Cascade, a series of stepped fountains surrounded by gilded statues flowing down to a remarkable grand fountain.

Finished in all its present-day lavishness in 1756, this Rococo palace functioned as the Russian monarch’s summer home until the monarchy was deposed in 1917. During World War II, the German army destroyed much of the palace’s gilded interior and left only its hollow bones. Renovations were finished in 2003 and the palace is now a great tourist destination as well a venue for elite concerts and gatherings.

Constructed in 1732 and heavily altered for the next two decades, the Winter Palace (in reality the fourth Winter Palace, as the first three iterations were not exquisite enough for Russian monarchs such as Peter the Great and Catherine I) served as the official residence of the Russian monarchy until the Revolution of 1917. The white and teal Winter Palace is one of six major historical buildings which comprise one of the most massive museums in the world, the Hermitage of St. Petersburg.

Vasily Stasov designed the Grand Choral Synagogue in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was completed in 1893 as a central worship space for the area’s growing Jewish community. One of the synagogue’s most notably opulent features is its 47 m copula. It was also possible to get married here at the lavish adjoining wedding chapel. The synagogue stands as a reflection of the prominent roles many Jewish individuals played in this period of Russia’s history. Today you can visit this house of worship, which was entirely restored in 2003. There are a variety of activities on offer and several surrounding Jewish cultural shops.

Metéora (“suspended in the air”) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six Christian monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. In the 14th century, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos founded the great Meteoron monastery on Broad Rock. The location was perfect for the monks; they were safe from political upheaval and had complete control of the entry to the monasteries. Access to the monasteries was deliberately difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced only “when the Lord let them break”.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery in Kiev, Ukraine. Since its foundation as the cave monastery in 1015 the Lavra has been a preeminent center of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. The Kiev Pechersk Lavra contains numerous architectural monuments, ranging from he Great Lavra Belltower, the notable feature of the Kiev skyline, to cathedrals to underground cave systems and to strong stone fortification walls.

Social

Evenings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Opera

Evening trips

We will visit several sights in
the evening, especially when we are in the cities like Jerusalem, Tel
Aviv, Haifa, Acre (Akko) and Eilat. We will visit mostly cultural
events, depending on the preferences of the group.

Birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

For those who want to celebrate
anniversaries or birthdays or other joyful events, we can organize for
you special trips, like boat trips, romantic dinner with candlelight
and violin player, special romantic, private dinner on sea or lake,
special suite in Hotel, etc. Please indicate at the registration or at
the beginning of the tour your intentions.

Ballet, Opera

Depending on the preference and
the season, the group, part of the group or individuals of the group,
we can make reservations for such events. Ask during the registration
for a program.

Recent Posts: Perfect Buildings Blog

The Cathedral of Guadalajara started to be constructed on the 31st of July 1568 and concluded on the 19th of February 1618, ordered by King of Spain Felipe II. Few people know it has the official title of “Basílica de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Virgen María”, because it was consecrated to her.

Aya Sofya is the great architectural landmark at the heart of Istanbul, with its four minarets poised like moon-bound rockets. Constructed in the 6th century AD as an Orthodox church, it later became a mosque and, since 1935, a museum. The enormous structure was built in just five years, and its musk walls are topped by an imposing dome, 31m wide and 56m high. The dome’s base is ringed by windows, so that from within the structure, the dome seems almost to hover ethereally above the building.

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Red Square remains, as it has been for centuries, the heart and soul of Russia. Few places in the world bear the weight of history to the extent that Moscow’s central square does. From the 16th Century St. Basil’s Cathedral – one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world – to the constructivist pyramid of Lenin’s Mausoleum, Red Square is rich in symbols of Russia’s turbulent and intriguing past.

Known as the “Russian Versailles,” Peterhof is a series of palaces and courtyards full of glinting gold statues and wondrous fountains surrounded by manicured grounds. Preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Site, the initial construction of the Peterhof complex began around 1714 when Peter the Great commissioned a pleasure palace across the sea from the island fortress of Kronstadt. Especially amazing is the Grand Cascade, a series of stepped fountains surrounded by gilded statues flowing down to a remarkable grand fountain.

Recent Posts: Tourists in Israel

For those who are visiting Eilat (or are going to do that) without plan (like most of you do), here are some tips for you to make your life a bit easier if you want to see something of Eilat. It’s the problem of getting there and how to move around and with what. Did you know that you can fly to Eilat instead of driving for 4 hours by car? Do you know how much that cost? It cost you $35 and 35 minutes. Voila, you earned your reading back with this.

Eilat’s accommodation ranges from the good to the bad to the downright ugly – this is not a place to expect a charming or unique hotel experience. As is the case with most resort towns, the cost of hotel rooms rises by about 25% at weekends and 50% (or more) during Israeli school holidays and in July/August. Reserve ahead during these times. The prices we have cited in our reviews are at the higher end of the mid-season range. If you enjoy staying in five-star chain hotels, you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are more than 50 options around the lagoons at North Beach and along the road to Taba, including nine Isrotels, two Dan Hotels and seven hotels in the Leonardo/Herod group. Most have bland decor, restaurants where the fixed-price buffet reigns supreme, large pool areas and decent but not exceptional levels of service.

Beaches and water sport are the dominating swimming activities in Eilat and in this article you will see what you can do here and what beaches we are talking about. In Eilat, there are two types of beach/water-tourists; those who love to swim in the Red Sea and those who prefer the water pools of their hotel.

Tel Aviv has loads of restaurants in all kinds, representing all areas of the Arab world, as is the rest of the world. And you know what, you can always find something for any budget. You can choose a boutique type restaurant, or you can choose a restaurant, where you have a full meal for a few shekels. And then there are those restaurants, which are based on the rising crop of ‘chef restaurants’ and an ever-growing number of swanky brasseries.

Recent Posts: Wim's Blog

You have a great idea and you want to earn money with it. That idea will be so great, you will become rich with that. Or what about people who think of themselves as business people with golden ideas. And all those ideas are Internet based. They think they only need a website and it will sell automatically and that’s it! And the majority fails. But what does it take to do such thing like that? This is an article about what people must consider before they can make this a reality with the help of the Internet and the steps they need to take before the actual work starts.

Blogs are popular and part of the social media. Everyone can create a blog and write there what they want. But not only blogs, also companies need websites, and organizations, institutions, governments, action groups, political parties, newspapers, and any individual wants to have a website. But all of that have something in common: they need a website. That website is stored and maintained on a server and that means that everyone needs to have a hosting account in order to host the website. And here the problems start. You are limited with maximum 17,647 page views per day.

Everyone who’s reading the mainstream media in the Internet gets the strong impression that Donald Trump is a really bad person and Hillary Clinton not. This is an understatement as ever. You don’t believe me? Do you want to see the proof with your own eyes? Go to news.google.com (aggregation of news of multiple sources) and read only the headlines about the American elections. Even when new revelations are coming in the open about criminal probes and investigations from the FBI against Hillary Clinton, there is still a very strange negativity of the news coverage of the mainstream media. And it doesn’t end with the negative coverage, no, not at all. They are using tactics to manipulate facts, vicious attacks on Trump’s character, straight out lying, cheating and much more to brush Donald Trump with the brush of tarnished evil. Ann Coulter on Breitbart wrote an interesting piece about those investigations and I could not help to expand on that.

A poll is nothing more than an attempt to predict an outcome based on what a relatively small sample of people say they are going to do. To suggest that they could be off by more than the statistical margin of error is just wishful thinking. Is that true? No. The polling industry is in the problems, because populations are simply getting sick of answering multiple times questions from pollsters. That’s why. So, does that mean that polls are or are not reliable?

The US Elections 2016 are becoming more dramatic by the hour. Each time new revelations are published about each candidate, muddling the actual elections and give preference for mudslinging, accusations, media manipulations, falsification of election data and polls, unprecedented interference of the current President, fraud, drop of confidence in the US government, unpopular politicians, conspiracies, corruption, manipulation, defect mainstream media and so much more. One Presidential candidate is under suspicion of Perjury, Obstruction of Justice, Bribery, Pay for Play,Illegal Use of a Nonprofit Organization, Racketeering and Fraud! If Hillary Clinton gets elected as the next President, those voters need to wait for a very long time before they have their president. And they take also the risk that this President will go to jail and dragging America further in the slumps and be the biggest embarrassment in the world.

Recent Posts: Shalom Israel

The dramatic story about Capenaum. How that little fishing town was once a nice town, hosting one of the most famous people in the world, then getting cursed by the same person and see the result of that now; only ruins left!

Here you see an overview about the public tours, created by Shalom Israel. There are many other tours, which are created as private tours and can’t be marketed or operated. The tours are coming in different settings. First of all, the tour itself is a VIP tour with the highest quality possible. Secondly, the tours can be customized and then can become even VIP Plus or a low-budget tour, as you wish.

This is a collection of random images about the beautiful country Israel with its variety in nature, culture, religion and its people. Its unparalleled in the world, and because of that, it’s a treasure chest for any tourist who wants to experience an unforgettable vacation for the whole family. The Shalom Tours are custom made and high quality and visit all of those places and much more.